Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,456 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Forster

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taipei and in Forster actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,456 in Forster.

Taipei $1,368
Forster $2,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $3,696 in Forster.

Taipei $2,202
Forster $3,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $4,937 in Forster.

Taipei $3,036
Forster $4,937

Living in Taipei costs roughly 44% less than in Forster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Forster 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$17.41 A$25.05

-73.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$90.1 A$130

-47.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$10.28 A$14.80

-45.72%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$3.93 A$5.66

-12.21%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 NT$30.61

$2.88 A$4.14

-67.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$2.16 A$3.11

-68.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$7.11 A$10.23

-59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$5.51 A$7.93

-32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.68 A$2.42

85.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$2.77 A$3.99

-28.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.36 A$3.40

33.90%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$5.41 A$7.78

-50.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$12.05 A$17.34

65.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.36 A$13.47

5.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$16.51 A$23.77

30.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$3.91 A$5.63

24.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$3.24 A$4.66

0.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.45 A$4.96

-12.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$4.40 A$6.34

2.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$3.18 A$4.57

-12.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.33 A$3.35

0.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.36 A$3.40

-28.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$1.19 A$1.71

-7.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$44.21 A$63.6

-91.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$13.74 A$19.77

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$3.87 A$5.56

-57.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$3.91 A$5.63

-41.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$2.88 A$4.14

-77.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$80.8 A$116

-53.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.49 A$5.03

-23.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$1.56 A$2.24

-47.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$40.50 A$58.3

-77.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.45 A$2.09

-29.66%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$28.7K A$41.2K

14.49%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$30.0K A$43.1K

-18.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$87.7 NT$2,843

$222 A$319

-60.48%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.28 NT$560

$27.32 A$39.31

-36.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$56.5 A$81.3

-51.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$57.2 A$82.3

-29.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$19.94 A$28.69

-20.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$17.15 A$24.67

-42.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$663 NT$21.5K

$2,227 A$3,205

-70.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$27.9K A$40.1K

-40.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$80.0 A$115

-21.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$68.9 A$99.1

-42.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$111 A$159

-23.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$134 A$193

-21.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$1,533 A$2,206

-34.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$1,118 A$1,609

-57.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$2,440 A$3,512

-35.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$1,911 A$2,750

-50.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$5,666 A$8,154

109.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$5,657 A$8,140

29.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.84

-58.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Forster: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Forster

$1.1K 45.5% 136% $645

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Forster

$376 15.3% 6.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Forster

$306 12.4% 131% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Forster

$177 7.2% 34.9% $46

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Forster

$284 11.6% 131% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Forster

$91 3.7% 52.5% $31

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Forster

$104 4.2% 119% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $1,533 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Taipei vs $90.0 in Forster. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $376, with Forster cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

20,554

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Forster 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Forster

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Taipei vs Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei and Forster differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $2,456 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,052 in Taipei and $3,684 in Forster to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $999 in Taipei versus $1,533 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Taipei versus $2,227 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Forster pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,456 in Forster, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Forster. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Taipei and Forster are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.